Khaled Mahmud returns to Bangladesh Cricket Board as consultant for age-group cricket

Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud has rejoined the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after being appointed as the consultant for age-group cricket. The 54-year-old has signed a two-year contract and will oversee the development of young cricketers across the country's grassroots structure.

Mahmud has previously served the BCB in several roles, including as the chairman of the Game Development Committee. His return comes as the board looks to strengthen its age-group system by leveraging his extensive coaching and developmental experience.

Speaking about his new role, Mahmud revealed that discussions with BCB president Tamim Iqbal had been ongoing for some time and expressed his excitement about returning to a field he is passionate about.

"I was discussing this (working with age-level cricket) with Tamim (BCB president) for quite a while now. I have been given a two-year deal," Mahmud was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

The former all-rounder added that working with young cricketers has always been close to his heart, having spent a significant part of his coaching career in player development.

"This is work I like doing. I have spent most of my coaching life in development and age-group cricket. When I was chairman of the BCB development committee, I tried my best to develop cricketers at that level," he said.

"We won the Youth World Cup as well. After leaving the board, I mostly worked as a coach with age-group cricketers. The new role is an ideal one for me. I hope I will be able to do something good in these two years," he said.

Mahmud played a key role in Bangladesh's age-group setup during his previous stint with the board. He was heading the BCB's Game Development Unit when Bangladesh lifted their maiden ICC Under-19 World Cup title in South Africa in 2020.

The BCB hierarchy reportedly viewed his return as an important step towards strengthening the country's cricketing pipeline. Board officials believe Mahmud's experience in nurturing young talent makes him an ideal candidate to mentor the next generation of Bangladeshi cricketers.

Apart from his work in player development, Mahmud also served as the team director of the Bangladesh men's national team during multiple ICC tournaments under the previous BCB administration.

Khaled Mahmud represented Bangladesh during the early years of their international journey and established himself as a dependable all-rounder. He featured in 12 Test matches and 77 One-Day Internationals, picking up 13 Test wickets and 67 ODI wickets while also contributing valuable runs with the bat.